Behind the Poem

The making of Cheap Thrills by Amy Grass

Welcome to Behind the Poem, a new feature of Part-Time Poets where we take a look at the inspiration behind a selected poem!

Today Amy gives us the low-down on her poem from Issue 3, Cheap Thrills. Enjoy!

Cheap Thrills

I’m a cautious person
but once in a while I cut loose

and eat raw cookie dough
ignore a sign that says no right on red 
return a library book a few days late
click ‘agree’ without reading the terms and conditions

I might drink coffee after noon
let the kids watch a show before 5pm
go to bed without washing my face
buy a dress I don't need just because I like how it swishes around my legs 

watch out world
I think I might tell someone how I really feel
laugh louder than necessary 
ask for what I want
give without expectation of getting back

What was that? 
Did you say something?
I couldn’t hear you over the sound of my
living 

The initial idea for this poem came from an intersection near my home. There is an (in my opinion) unnecessary "no right on red" sign on one side, which I nearly always ignore. One day my husband made a joke that ignoring this sign is the only rule I break.

He's not wrong. I love rules.

I kept thinking about the idea of little rebellions such as my willful disobedience of minor traffic laws, and began making a list of other ways my by-the-book nature bends the rules now and again.

What started as a light-hearted poking fun at little risks like eating raw cookie dough and neglecting to read the terms and conditions evolved into something deeper in the second half of the poem. In theory, buying a dress just for fun or speaking one's opinions and authentic feelings aren't revolutionary things, right?

But for me, growing up and living in a society (and particularly the evangelical Christian culture) that expects women to be frugal, always wise, and demure long ago pounded into my head that the things I listed in this poem are rebellious.

So I guess, for me, Cheap Thrills is a liberation of sorts. It's a love letter to rule followers everywhere: live it up, sister.

(Please don't call the police about my disregard for traffic laws)